Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-01-27

tune.
Chicsgo Herald
in these days of ch1ronomy and chiro-
NANCY and all the other ologies and an
cies relating so peoples hands and heads
and noses and ears, 1t is surprising that
no one has as yet revived the old art of
onychomancy,n said South Side ply
stefan the other day to The Herald re-
porter.
What Is onychomancy?
well, 1t is the art of devination Of the
nails, and was much practiced by some
et our many times great grandfathers 1
think IN the eighteenth century. The
most learned ana distinguished onycho-
manclststs was Jerome Cardan, who was
considered as great an oracle in his dav
as MI. Heron Allen is at present, though
Cardan never made such practical use of
reputation as the wide awake Englishman
has done. He was languid, blase Pari-
sian, always lnventlng some new method
for making life endurable e. meth
DDS, by the way, whose only merit
would seem to be originality. One of his
ideas was that govt ought to be consider
ed not as calamity to be gotten rid of.
but as blessing 90 be cultivated, view
with which Mr.. Blaine, for one, assuredly
would not sympathize. Here is a curious
passage 1 have &C pied form an extraordi-
nary book he published, called lie Pro
pria Nita': 1T was my practice,' he SAYS,
"a practice at which many wondered, to
bring on some disorder if happened to
have none, as have just observed of the
govt. The result of this is that, in nv
opinion, pleasure consists in the subsid-
ing pain. Now, if pain be voluntary, it
can be made to cease at pleasure. And
have found that [ cannot exist without a
certain degree of pain, for, when it alto,
gether ceases, so impetuous fury seizes =
my mind that moderate degree of vol
untary pain is much more safe and rem
ders me much more res pectable. For this
reason l bite my lips, distort my fingers,
pinch my skin and the tender, fieshy part
of the left arm, even to tears. Thus /
have been able to exist without reproach.'
[ suppose Monsieur Garden found that
event such an original amusement as
cultivating the govt palled occasionally,
and found relief in onychomancy. He
devoted a great deal of time to the art
and became quite proficient in it. He
himself was the proud possessor of ex-
traordinarily large nails-nails so mag
nificent in volume end shape that he
counted them as 'one of the four emin-
ent gifts bestowed on him N order that
he might be disting uished from the rest
of mankind By means of these nails
he is said to have fOretOld his future al
most exactly, finding it traced out upon
them as plainly as on map. For in
stance, bad omens often present them
selves in the form of livid or black marks
on the nail of the forefnger, while marks
perfectly white appearing in the same
place were prognostics of coming good
fortune. Specks on the thumb nail
meant approaching honors, and riches
were heralded on the nail of the index
finger. The size color and precise loca-
ton of rhe different specks were all mat
ters of the greatest Importance.
'Cardan was by no means the only
onychomancist. He had a great many
followers and some predecessors. The
outlines of their doctrine are summar-
lied by Collin de Plancy in the 'Diction
aire Internal Yellowish specks on the
nails foretell approaching trouble; black
ones mean DANCES; red specks, which are
very uncommon, give warming that some
one has evil designs against us; pure
white specks are most to be desired, as
they are the forerunners of good fortune.
When these signs appear at the bottom
of the nails, the accomplishment of their
prophesis is remote, but as the nails grow
and the marks approximate the tip Of
the fingers speedy fulfllment may
be expected of the unguicular vaticina-
tions.'"
81 beg PARDON didn't catch the last
Words" said the reporter.
II said 'unguicular vaticinations,' said
The physician severely.
"Did you know he continued unbent,
that the jews held some extraordinary
opinions about nails? They used to be-
ieve that before the fall, the bodies of
Dur first pareuts were perfectly trans
parent, and that Of these lucid envelopes
Of the souls our nails were the sole sur
7iving remains. Curious belief, wasn't
t? You wouldn't care to be so exquisite
y transparent yourself? Neither should
"This long fnger-nail craze is growing
more and more fashionable, isn't it? /
notice some of my patients wear regular
claws, and the more fashionable the wo
men the longer and more pointed her
nails. I suppose it is founded on the
Chinese idea that long nails are indica-
,ions of gentility, since they are inconsis-
J6nG WIFI any m6CndulCdl Gil p1Oy m0HI OF
such vulgar pursuit as working for ones
bread. I've read that in Nubia the long
niger nail is considered an indisputable
proof of good birth and high rank; so
much, so that that the aspiring Nubian,
Who wishes to get into society and belong
20 the upper ten thousand, constantly
his or her tips to cedar fires,
process which insures the expansion OF
;he nail. It seems to me that we are fast
ascending, or descending, as you choose
to call it, to the Nubian standard, since
ength of nail really seems to DO taken as
4 criterion of good breeding.
II heard friend of my daughter
talking the other day about a
young lady who has lately moved into the
II don't think she can be much said
me young lady.
.sWhy? '' was asked.
swell, L happened to see her with her
glove off and her nails were quite short
and round" in disguised tone.
''Nho knows but that cedar fires may
ret be put in requisition in the city of
Jhicago?"
"Have you my permission to use the
Or